Day of Eclipse
by forwarduntodawn501
Summary: A dimension-hopping warrior sees the climax of Friendship Games and throws himself into the fray. rated T for Dark Stuff, may increase later.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Exiled

It was a quiet night in the dark forest, only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl. A sharp snap of a twig Shattered the silence, scaring the owl from its perch. A hooded figure cursed to himself as his quarry, which happened to be a small turkey, flew behind a tree, startled by the sound. The figure lowered his bow, letting the tension on the string dissipate.

"Looks like I'm going without a good meal again tonight." he grumbled, pulling a small package from his pouch "Gods, I'm getting sick of these rations, probably just another part of my punishment." he unwrapped the small bar of bread, dropping the leaf that had been used to preserve the food. He bit off a small chunk of it, gnawing at the dry bread. "One would think that an Draconian ranger could catch a mere animal." He turned and walked back to his camp. He scanned the night sky. He shivered, despite being next to the small fire, then looked around. The air was filled with a magic energy that had not been there moments before, it was like a dark cloud, hovering over the small human town to the east. "My,my that's interesting." He chuckled as he gave a sharp whistle, a fiery red bird flew over and perched on his shoulder. He handed a small roll of paper to its beak, it snacthed it in its beak and flew off. "Well, better go check it out, hope my little report will keep the council off my back." he chuckled, "Don't know why they care about an exile so much, I mean, isn't the whole point of exile is to not have any contact with where you're exiled from?" the draconian smiled, shook his head and sprinted towards the disturbance. "Come to think of it, this would be the second time I've felt magic of such magnitude." He thought as he lept into the branches, deftly running from branch to branch, almost gliding. "Albeit, this time seems more like a dark, twisted version of the first." He shook his head, his mind racing almost as fast as his feet. He stopped, spinning around the trunk of the tree he had stopped at. "Well, here I go." he said, leaping from the tree and towards the human town. He gave a small smirk as he wove through the shadows. He followed the magic, the power almost pulling him now. As he got closer, he felt the dark magic that he had sensed feed into his own ice magic. He had to stop several times to catch his breath, the waves of energy now hitting him with force. Then, just as he arrived at the source, the school that he had seen when he was first banished. _What was its name again… ah yes Canterlot High._ He thought, unable to keep a smile from his face, but that faded when he saw six young girls staring at, from what he could tell, was a fallen angel. He shook his head, knocked an arrow, and stepped into view.

"Ahem, look miss, I don't know what is going on, but I would ask that you stand down." he smirked as he felt their gazes drift to him.

"Are you crazy!?" one of the girls shouted, he gave a cold chuckle in reply, spinning the arrow back into his quiver and sliding his sword from its sheath.

Meanwhile, the phoenix had flown to a tall, clean shaven man, platinum hair and wise face framed by a crown resembling elegant curved thorns. The phoenix perched on his shoulder dropping the small scroll into his outstretched hand. He opened the scroll, and after reading the contents, clapped a few times. A robed councilor rushed to his king, bowing.

"Retrieve a quill and some parchment, chancellor, I believe a few invitations are needed to be sent. " The king said, kindly smiling and waving to his side. "I am also revoking the banishment of Eclipse, it's time our prince returned home."

Back with Eclipse, he had been a little disappointed when the "dark angel" had turned out to be just another girl who was twisted by the dark magic. He panted heavily as he sheathed his sword, and checked for any serious injuries he might have caused.

"Now that I'm not avoiding getting blasted into oblivion, I can figure out whatever caused that corruption." he thought to himself. Picking up the unconscious girl, and walking out of the dust cloud that was kicked up by the last few blows of the fight.

"That. was. Awesome!" One of the girls shouted, Eclipse eyed the girl, her rainbow striped hair only caused a slight pause from the ranger, after all, he had seen stranger things from the dryads around his old home. Her violet eyes were almost glowing with excitement. Another one of them jumped erratically.

"Yeah! She was like pew! Pew! Zap!" She shouted waving her wands as if firing blasts of magic. "Then you were like swish! Swing! Pow!" her voice was almost unintelligible with how fast she was speaking, and she was now was swinging a stick, that he was quite surprised, he didn't see her pick it up, and her posture was perfect as she swung it lightly around like a blade.

"Well, I've had a lot of practice." he chuckled, placing the girl he held in his arms on the ground. "Perks of living.." he continued, but was interrupted by the pink haired girl again.

"For a really, really long time, and you did something bad and you got kicked out because your dad is the one who does the punishing to prove he wasn't picking favorites. You were put into the forest near here, and you can't go home until they tell you." She rambled. Eclipse blinked several times.

"How did you…." He started, his hand subconsciously floating towards his knife on his belt. She shrugged, stating that it was just a hunch. He pulled his hand away from his belt and he began to inspect the violet haired girl for injuries again, just to make sure. The one with light, flowing pink hair, stepped forward.

"I-is she okay?" she asked quietly, she seemed to shrink back when he looked her way. He silently thanked the stars that his sensitive hearing made him able to hear the quiet girl.

"She'll be fine.. I'm actually impressed that she took as much of a beating as she did." He replied, smiling. "You can relax, I'm not going to do anything to you six, and I want to make sure she'll be okay before I go back to my camp." He nodded, noting how tense the girls were. Just then, his stomach rumbled… causing him to chuckle. "I don't suppose you have any places I could get a decent meal around here. All I've had for the past month or so is stale bread." the Blonde rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well there's a restaurant" She said in a southern drawl, before she continued her statement, he stood up.

"I don't have any money." he deadpanned. The pale girl with curled, purple hair about past her shoulder, stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips.

"That, Dear, is obvious. The state of your clothing is simply dreadful." She said, she placed her hand on her forehead, faking a swoon. The draconian rolled his eyes, giving a quiet scoff.

"Well, when you get literally get pulled from your home and thrown into a forest with nothing but the clothes on your back and a few assorted tools, let me know if you're still worried about how fancy your clothes are." he retorted, it looked like he struck a nerve. "I'm sorry, that was out of line." he hung his head, then hit it, as if he had remembered something important. "Again, I apologize, I forgot my manners." He said, bowing "My name is Eclipse Nightstar." he added, looking up slightly. He let his voice take a more noble tone, his straight face and piercing, icy blue eyes locking on each of the girls. When nothing happened, he straightened up, frowning in annoyance. "I believe it's your turn." he growled. Pink lept into the air, landing within arm's reach, she shook his hand with such enthusiasm that he was afraid that his arm would fall off.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie! Pinkie Pie." she said, in the enthusiastic manner he guessed was her normal way of speaking. Although, he did wonder if she had ingested a little too much sugar or some other substance. He forced a smile and nodded.

"Charmed." he said dully. Rainbow smiled, gave him a thumbs up and winked.

"Rainbow Dash." she said, her posture visibly straightening up. _Prideful_ Eclipse thought, nodding in acknowledgement. Inwardly chuckling at how accurate his nickname was. Curly Purple did a small curtsy.

"Call me Rarity dear." she said, almost echoing the tone of his own introduction, albeit slightly less authoritative, and more kind. He smiled, bowing in reply. Blondie walked up to Eclipse, eyeing him carefully.

"Apple Jack." she said bluntly, he let his smile fade, she didn't trust him…. And for good reason.

"A pleasure." he could have spat the words, but he held himself back. Wouldn't do to lose self control now, not after that fight. Little Pink shuffled towards him a little, and with each little step, she seemed to try to shrink back.

"Ummm I'm Fluttershy" She squeaked, obviously terrified. _Quiet little one isn't she._ Eclipse thought.

"Hello Fluttershy." He smiled softly, she shied away, although he couldn't complain, shy was in her name after last girl, who had striped yellow and red hair, her face told him all he needed to know. She was angry, the anger almost shining in her eyes. Her posture seemed to scream _I'm not going to give you anything._ "My, my, aren't we hostile." he said, giving her a slight smirk. She gave him an annoyed sigh, throwing her hands up into the air. The tense silence that followed was broken by the one that he had fought stirring. "Well, someone's awake." Eclipse said quietly, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He knelt down, offering his hand to help her up. When the girl did nothing, he shrugged, If she didn't want his help, he wouldn't blame her, after all, he did beat her within an inch of her life. He felt a hand firmly grab his shoulder, too big and the nails too sharp for his new acquaintances. Eclipse took a deep breath and turned around, keeping a calm expression. He looked at the thin, angry woman with plum colored hair and a suit that matched the shade. "How can I help you?" Eclipse asked kindly, his eyes locking with hers.

"How dare you!" she shouted, Eclipse wanted to wince, but that would show weakness, and this faculty member felt like someone that he needed to meet even with her authoritative posture. He blinked, using his magic to subtly look through her mind. "You not only interrupt this competition, but you attack one of the competitors!" She said, not lowering her voice.

That was when something snapped in Eclipse, he gave a mild chuckle, which grew into a maniacal laugh. The Headmaster let go, obviously surprised by his reaction.

"Well, I didn't see anything that looked like a competition, and I'm not aware of any display that requires you to rip holes between dimensions." He said, giving her a venomous smirk. "If I may, Headmaster Chinch, what about this little feud will force Canterlot to close it's doors?" he asked, his smirk becoming a full grin. Chinch raised her eyebrow, her posture visibly shook, she took a step back. _Give me an inch, I'll take a mile, witch….. Heh, rhyme._ He thought, sighing in frustration and satisfaction. "Your school, it's won several of these beforehand. Yes?" After a moment, she nodded, the fear growing in her eyes. "So, what about you using magic to cheat changes this situation?" He growled, his eyes were now practically glowing with his wrath. They were in fact, glowing slightly, it took all he had to not tear her apart with a frigid wind right then and there.

"C-Cheating!" she gasped, Eclipse chuckled, raising his arm. A thin mist that had clustered and floated just below his hand. Sharp, splintering crack tore through the air. In just a few moments small, crystalline orb shone in his hand.

"Also, I believe something such as blackmail is illegal." He smirked, holding up a small piece of paper he had procured from the headmaster's pocket when she turned him around. "I, however, will be turning this over to the authorities regardless." he gave a snicker, throwing the letter into the air before catching it again between his index and middle finger. "But before someone misjudges my character, I'm no knight in shining armor." He sneered again, throwing the orb into the air and snapping his fingers. The orb shattered in midair, the shards floating back down just above his hand and hovered threateningly. One shot forward, flying past The headmaster's ear, the sharp edge barely missing, it in fact, had made a small cut on her cheek, but it wasn't deep enough to break the skin, she gave a small yelp in surprise as the shard circled back and flew past on the other side, avoiding causing damage. "I certainly hope I don't have to say anything else." Chinch sneered, giving him a sharp slap across the cheek. What little control he had left snapped, Eclipse chuckled darkly as he let energy course through him. He felt himself grow a few feet, biting his lip in pain as a tail forcibly sprouted, though it was hidden by his cloak. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" He shouted clutching his head, trying to wrestle control back from the monster that threatened to take over and tear the self-entitled headmaster in front of him to ribbons. Suddenly a blast of energy exploded around him, throwing Chinch backwards for a few feet, unharmed, though definitely shaken from the ordeal. The blinding light died down, leaving him collapsed in an unconscious heap upon the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

New friends

When he awoke, he found himself in a very different place than where he remembered. Eclipse shook his head, trying to clear the hazy thoughts from his mind. When he had succeeded, he looked over his surroundings. He wasn't in the school's front lawn, that's for sure, and to his surprise, he wasn't in a prison either. Instead, He found himself in a expensively decorated room, lying on a lounge sofa with red velvet cushions. The windows had their laced curtains drawn closed, making the room a good deal darker than it should have been. The draconian whirled around, his eyes looking through the darkness as well as if it were noonday, as he heard the a creaking sound, most likely originating from the fluffy staircase on his right. A girl, not over ten years old, stood frozen with fear. If he had to guess, this was a younger sister of one of the girls he had met what he hoped was only a night before. Eclipse stood up, noting his cloak hanging on the coat rack next to the door, along with his bow, arrows, and his sword tucked neatly in a far corner.

"Sweetiebelle! Don't be rude!" Came a familiar voice from further up the stairs. Inwardly, he groaned, he wasn't an indoor person, and being holed up in a house of a person that he hardly knew wasn't helping. "Say hello to our guest." Rarity insisted, walking down the rest of the stairs, pushing her younger sister along.

"H-hello." the little girl stammered. Eclipse smiled, he let a cheerful grin spread across his face.

"Hello Sweetie Belle." He happily replied, giving a short, polite nod. He walked over to a window, examining the curtains. "I suppose that we can let a little light in, yes?" He asked, placing his right hand on the silk curtains. Rarity looked unsure, but after a moment, she nodded. He pulled back the fabric, but he froze, his hand was covered in dull grey scales, tipped with sharp, curved claws the color of a fresh snowfall. He pulled it back, cursing to himself. _I lost control of my magic again , did I…._ He knew that the rest of him was human in appearance, but despite the slight relief of tension, the nagging feeling that he had repeat of the incident that had caused his banishment. "Did I … hurt anyone?" He asked, his voice visibly shaking.

"Goodness, no." Rarity smiled. She waved her hand dismissively. Eclipse let the news wash over him, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank the Gods!" He chuckled, " For a moment there, I thought… I thought I had-" He said, his voice cracking even more as he fell to his knees, he felt a single tear roll down his cheek. With one look at the sympathetic face of Rarity and her sister, he broke down, full on sobbing. He paused for a moment, as there was a knock at the door, but he soon resumed his sobs, moving to a counter that was still in shadow.

"Oh, Fluttershy!" Came the grateful voice of Rarity, a few other words were exchanged, but he couldn't hear over his sobs. "Quite frankly, Dear, I'm not sure what to do, he woke up, opened the curtains, and then reduced himself to this poor mess." Eclipse felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked up, finding himself looking into the sapphire eyes of Fluttershy. His eyes watered, He looked away, he couldn't look her in the eyes, not while the shadow of his past actions loomed in his mind.

"Are you okay?" Came her quiet voice, he blinked away a few tears, wiping a few away with his arm. She immediately pulled him into a hug. He took a deep breath, tapping her shoulder when he had calmed down. "All better?" She asked, pulling away. He nodded, pushing himself back to his feet.

"Just one question," he said, raising one finger. "What exactly changed from when I passed out and now that changed how much you trust me." He crossed his arms, his eyes now back to the normal, icy gaze.

"Well, you have Twilight and Sunset for that, Dear." Rarity replied, mimicking his posture. There was another knock at the door, Sweetie Belle was the one who answered it. "I offered to give you a place to stay, one one condition." Eclipse nodded, rolling his eyes.

"There's always a catch." He chuckled, gesturing for her to go on.

"You must let me make you a decent change of clothes." Rarity said, turning towards a sewing machine over in a neighboring room. He raised his eyebrows, taken back slightly.

"That's it? No other strings attached?" He asked, half expecting something else to come up. She shook her head, he felt for something, anything he could use as payment. Her sister hadn't said anything, and he had heard the door open and close, so he had supposed the young girl had gone outside to play.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about paying me, Dear, after all, It's not as if I run a business." she said happily, giving a satisfied smile. Eclipse rolled his eyes, he had forgotten that Human culture had a different view on being an adult and owning property.

"My apologies, where I'm from, you could very well do so, we're considered adults when we leave our profession master." Eclipse said, glancing at the door as another loud series of knocks grabbed his attention. Rarity's eyes visibly darting to it.

"Hey, Rarity!" Came Applejack's voice. "Mind if I come in?"

"Come in, Applejack darling!" Rarity called over her shoulder, grabbing a measuring tape from the table nearby.

"Rarity," AppleJack said, glancing at Eclipse and nodding. "I came to see if y'all needed anythin."

"Okay, seriously, what in the name of Alexzandria is going on? When I first met you, you didn't even look me in the eye." Eclipse growled, throwing his hands into the air. "Now two of your friends say some little speech and you are ready to trust me." Applejack crossed the room and glared at him.

"Now see here mister, I still don't trust ya, but Sunset and Twilight want me to give ya a chance. Despite my better judgement." She said, glaring at Eclipse and folding her arms over her chest.

"Glad to have that cleared up." he replied, slowly clapping. "I don't suppose that it's unreasonable for me to talk to them." quietly slipping his clawed hand back under his sleeve. He could feel it slowly reverting back to normal, but he didn't want to give out the fact he wasn't human just yet. Fluttershy let out a small squeak as another urgent knock shook the room. Rarity rushed over to the door and opened it. The girl that he had fought before, whom he guessed was Twilight rushed in, her breath ragged. "Speak of the devil." he mumbled to himself.

"Apple Bloom, Sw-sweetie belle, Scootaloo, in trouble." Twilight panted, Eclipse took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.

"Where are they?" He demanded, crossing the room and tying his sword onto his belt.

"I-in the woods, Sunset and Rainbow went to help, they sent me for help." Twilight explained, looking out the window.

"Let me guess, it's about a five minute run to where you heard the forest. Then a who knows how long of a trek through the woods." Eclipse said, cracking his knuckles,his mouth in a frown. "And I don't want to be the one to spoil this, but if they are in trouble, we just don't have any time." He opened the door, but barely had taken a step before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not leavin' you to do this by yerself, too risky." Came Applejack's voice. Eclipse looked over his shoulder and gave a smirk.

"I wouldn't worry about me, and if your friends are anything to go by, they'll have enough common sense to stay out of a situation that is over their heads." He chuckled, grabbing his bow and arrows and holding them out to her. "But if you insist, I must ask that you use these, I will not have you hurt because of your stubbornness."

"But don't you…" She asked, grabbing them hesitantly.

"Relax, I'm better with a good blade anyways." Eclipse shrugged, turning back towards the yard. He looked around nervously, as if he was nervous that someone was watching when he was satisfied, he snapped his fingers. A small cyclone of frigid wind and snow swirled around him, obscuring him from view. When it cleared, the Draconian bore a pair of Dragon's wings, the scales matching those on his hand, the webbing was a dark teal blue. The girls gasped behind him. " I don't see what the surprise is, after all, your magic, seems to do something similar. I just have a little more control over what mine does."

"It's just a little unsettling that's all, dear."

"Well, let's stop wasting valuable time and get going." Eclipse lept into the air, Applejack ran out after him. He looped back around, picking up Applejack by the arms.

"Sorry, but we won't make it in time if we run, and to add to that, we would be exhausted, which is no way to enter combat, if that does happen." He said over the roaring wind. He closed his eyes,letting his ability to sense the unique magical imprint of an object of interest, in this case, it happened to be three little girls. He found their trail easy enough, he cursed under his breath.

"What was that!?" Applejack shouted over the wind.

"I've got good and bad news, I found them." Eclipse replied, diving below the canopy of the forest. "But they've seemed to have angered a rather large bear." He scanned the forest floor, searching for a safe place to set Applejack down. "Doesn't look like we can get any closer, the trees are too close together to carry you the rest of the way." He slowed and dropped his passenger on the ground. "Stay here, I don't want you getting caught between a dragon and it's hoard." Applejack took a deep breath to protest, but Eclipse had lept out of sight and was heading towards the bear with a thin trail of frost glazing the grass and ferns on the forest floor as he flew over them.

"Somebody! HELP!" a voice shouted, Eclipse made a mental note that it sounded like a younger Applejack as he shot forwards even faster. He entered the small clearing in a grey blur, his right boot smashing into the large furred side of the bear. His speed alone was enough to throw the animal off balance enough that it had to stop its attack and steady itself. As he continued on his trajectory, he dug his claws into the soft ground, righting himself with his wings. He looked over his shoulder, Sweetie Belle and two other girls her age were cowering at the base of the tree, trying to make themselves as small as possible. The sound of two motors tore through the short silence. Moments later, Rainbow and the girl with the red and yellow striped hair, whom he had supposed that she was the Sunset Applejack mentioned, skidded to a stop, their vehicles humming idly as the girls ran to them.

"Get them out of here!" Eclipse commanded, gripping his sword's hilt and drawing the blade. He slid it so he was holding it by the tip and holding it out to Sunset. "Follow the trail of frost, Applejack is likely somewhere along the path." he growled, turning back to the bear. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him." The bear roared angrily, Eclipse crouched, ready for an attack. The two had driven off, the younger children seated further back on the motorcycles.

"Well, it's just me and you." He laughed darkly. Letting magic envelop his other arm, he relished at the felling of the dull, gray scales sprouting from under his skin. When it was intentional, the feeling of the change felt something similar to stretching a stiff limb, otherwise, it could be extremely painful. The bear lunged at him, he blocked its claw with his wing, returning with his own swipe. He'd felt his claws dig into the paw, but compared to the size of the bear, the gashes were only small cuts. He ducked another swipe from the bear, driving his knee into the lower jaw. Another swipe came, he lept over the angry beast, but the bear fell ontop of him, the full weight of the animal smashed him into the ground. The bear swung its claw again, and Eclipse threw his wing up as a shield. Then he screamed, his voice scaring off a few birds from their nest. The bear, instead of it hitting the hard scales, its claws tore through the membrane. Eclipse couldn't focus, the pain causing his vision to blur. He threw the beast off of him, throwing it aside as if it were merely a stuffed toy. It lunged at him again, this time, aiming to tear out his throat with its teeth. What it got however, was a scaled arm braced across the inside of its jaw. He twisted his arm sideways, snapping the neck of his opponent. He brushed the dirt and hair off of his cloak, now growing stained with his own blood, seeping from the tear on his wing. He sank to his knees, undoing the clasp on his cloak and draping it over the wounded wing. The blood loss was making him lightheaded, his thoughts melded together, unintelligibly. Then he fell over and let darkness overtake him.

When he came to, he found himself in a small room, the sparse decor told him he wasn't in Rarity's home. He looked over his surroundings, finding nothing, he inspected his injured wing. To his surprise, he could see the careful, deliberate stitches sealing the tear. He moved to touch it, but his arm jolted with pain. He scrutinized it, and despite the armor like scales covering his form, the bear's teeth had bruised him, it had been rather vicious at one point, but it had died down. He shifted to a sitting position, looking around the small room.

"Oh my, you're up already?" he heard Fluttershy's voice. Eclipse looked over the windows and doors to find the shy girl, he found her peeking around the corner of the doorway.

"Sorry, I'll attempt to not make a habit of it." He smirked, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at his stitched wing. "I take it that I have you to thank for patching me up."

"Oh, you're welcome! But Sunset did most of it." Fluttershy said, smiling quietly.

"Don't be modest, I know that she doesn't have the skill." Eclipse paused, shaking his head. "I don't doubt she helped, my wing was too damaged to repair by yourself." He looked over his wing again, then looking back to Fluttershy. A knock at the door surprised both of them, though Eclipse hid it a little better than the timid girl.

"Fluttershy? Is something wrong?" A voice that he didn't recognize asked.

"Oh, no nothing's wrong, I'll be right there." Fluttershy called back, he could tell she meant to be loud enough to be heard, but her voice went even quieter than when she had introduced herself. She left to answer the door, whispering something that he didn't here.

"He's up already?!" The voice asked, and, now he had a moment to himself, he closed his eyes, letting the magic of his surroundings flow over him. He reached into the next room, where Fluttershy was talking to her visitor. He gave a quiet chuckle, he recognised the aura, it was the girl he had given his sword to. He gave a sigh, he swore that girl, who he had guessed was Sunset when he had seen her in the forest, was following him around. To his surprise, the second he thought of her, a warm pressure flooded through his chest, he had not felt warmth since he had chosen to specialize in cryomancy.

"Could she have… I have been unconscious twice around her, and I did get injured the most recent incident." He mumbled to himself, standing and walking quietly into the room. Fluttershy gasped quietly, noticing him standing awkwardly, his outstretched wing throwing off his balance.

"Oh my, are you sure that you should be moving around?" She asked, rushing up to him and grabbing his arm to steady him.

"I'll be fine, I thank you for your concern." He replied, giving a weak smile. He glanced over to Sunset, giving a slight bow. "Sunset, I assume?" He asked bowing stiffly, not wanting to fall over. He noted that she was blushing slightly.

"Yes. I'm Sunset Shimmer" She replied, shaking his hand. He smiled and took a seat on the couch. He shifted his weight, careful not tear open his repaired wing. After a few moments, when both Fluttershy and Sunset had taken seats, he cleared his throat.

" To get down to business, I'm in your dept for picking me up after that fight with the bear, and aiding in my recovery." He said, bowing slightly.

"Don't mention it, it was the least I could do." Sunset said, her face blushing slightly.

"I do have a few questions, Firstly, do you have any open wounds." He asked, looking at Sunset, she nodded. " And did your wound at any point come into contact mine?" He demanded. His eyes gleaming. After thinking for a few moments, Sunset nodded. "I was afraid of that." He scowled. When the girls gave him a questioning look, he sighed and shook his head. "You see, my people have something called a blood bond, it's a draconian way to… mark potential mates." He grumbled quietly, his face blushing in embarrassment. Sunset lept back, Surprised, and understandably taken back.

"WHAT!?" Sunset screamed, waving her arms frantically. He chuckled a little darkly, causing Fluttershy to shrink back.

"Relax, I won't force you into anything. And I will let you know I figure anything out." He replied. "A bond like this hasn't happened for at least a thousand years." He looked around for a moment, then stood. "I'll be back, I need to procure a few things from my camp."

"Wait." Fluttershy said quietly. Eclipse turned, eyeing the girl questioningly. "I found your things in the woods and had them brought here while you were sleeping." She smiled. "Applejack was a big help." she added, suddenly leaping up after a few moments. "Oh dear, they asked me to let them know when you woke up. I just got so caught up in-" She started, but she was cut off by Eclipse raising his hand.

"No, worries. I'm sure they'll understand. I apologize for any inconvenience that my equipment caused." He said, flourishing his bow by spinning his wrist.

"Oh no, I'm happy to help, I'm just glad everyone's okay." She replied, running out the door after a slight pause. Eclipse turned to Sunset, who immediately turned a deep red with blush. Eclipse was about to say something, but Fluttershy walked back inside, looking at the two.

"Oh my, am I interrupting?" she asked, he shook his head. "The others will be coming soon, I hope it won't be trouble." She added, moving to sit back down.

"No trouble at all, I'm sure they'll have their own questions." Eclipse waved, stretching his arms. "In the meantime, I suppose I owe you two some answers. Ask anything you want, and I'll tell you what I know." He sat back down, crossing his arms. The two girls looked at him for a moment, He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "I would think that beating a corrupted being into the ground and killing a bear with my bear hands would raise a few questions."

"I think we should wait for the others." Sunset replied, Eclipse complied, leaning back in his seat.

"Very well." He agreed, pulling the knife from his boot and spinning it between his fingers. "While we do that, I'd best write my report." He said, looking at Fluttershy, who left the room and returned with his bag. Eclipse procured a blank scroll, a raven black quill, and an ink well. The three sat in awkward silence, the only noises were the ticking of the clock and his quill scratching the paper. After a few moments, he stood up, opened the window and called his phoenix, Sunset looked surprised, as if she recognized the bird and didn't expect to see it. Eclipse gave the scroll to the bird and nodded, closing the window as it flew back to where it came. Just as he closed it again, Rainbow dash burst through the door.

"Oh hello again." Eclipse smiled, holding the knife by the blade in a throwing position. He lowered his arm, slipping the knife back into his boot. "Sorry, old habits die hard I'm not usually that jumpy." He smiled, taking a deep breath. "I think I should keep this in its sheath." He looked at Rainbow apologetically for a moment, then looked back at Sunset and Fluttershy.

"Ummm, Rainbow how did you get here so fast?" Fluttershy asked, shrinking away when Eclipse looked at her. "You were at your house when I called a few minutes ago." Rainbow shrugged.

"I took a shortcut, Passed AJ on the way." She said, dismissively, then turning to Eclipse. "You got guts, standing up to a bear like that."

"It wasn't all that special, someone needed my help and I did the best I could." Eclipse said, glancing at his repaired wing, which still throbbed with a dull pain. _I still can't believe that beast was able to hit me like that, I should've seen that, I should've been more prepared._ He thought to himself sourly.

"Sorry what was that?" Sunset asked, standing up.

"I did the best I could." He replied, looking at her in slight surprise.

"No, after that." She demanded, earning a strange look from her friends.

"Sunset, he didn't say anything after that, are you sure you're okay?" Rainbow asked, "I mean, you hit your head pretty hard yesterday."

"What happened?" Eclipse asked, genuinely concerned.

"I fell down some stairs when I missed a step." Sunset replied, looking at Rainbow who was trying her hardest to hold back a laugh.

"Sounds painful," He said, thinking for a moment. "But I don't think that has anything to do with what just happened, I may have not said anything, but I did express my annoyance at the lucky hit that bear got."

"Lucky!" Sunset shouted, pointing at his wing. "You passed out from blood loss! If I hadn't wanted to go back and make sure you were okay, would would be dead right now!" she crossed her arms. " That wing was so torn up, I could've crawled through it."

"Well, that bear was bigger than is usual for this realm." He stated matter of factly. "In fact, the only place that I know of where things are that big is…." He paused, his eyes snapping wider. "Home." Instantly, he stood up, racing to the corner and picking up his sword. "The quickest way to the forest." He demanded, throwing a cloak over his shoulders. He strapped the sword to his belt, then turning towards the door. "The portal wouldn't be that open unless something happened." He reached to open it, but it flew against the wall before he had touched it. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood in the door. He glanced over the three before placing a hand on Applejack and Pinkie shoulders, and pushing them aside gently.

"Somthin' wrong?" Applejack asked, immediately picking up on Eclipse's distress. He let out a quiet sigh.

"I don't know, but something doesn't seem right." He glanced past them, his eyes looking past them and into the sky. He sighed quietly, "I can't fly with the state of my wing, and there's no other way to get to the sanctuary from here, unless..." He droned, his mind running at thousands of miles a minute. "There might be.. No, too dangerous. There's got to be another option." He rubbed his chin quietly, then he snapped his fingers, a smile lighting his face. "Of course!" he shouted, looking to his right, then to his left. He pushed them aside gently and took off running towards the woods. A small roar of an engine flared to life behind him, he kept going, his muscles pulsing with magic. He let himself relax, letting the magic increase his already inhuman speed, all the while, the engine kept at a reasonable distance. He closed his eyes, then he turned to the right in a wide arc into the woods.

After a few moments, he slid to stop. Looking around and drawing his sword. The small rubble that had followed him grew louder. Eclipse tightened his grip on his sword, pulsing his magic around him. In a moment, he glanced over his shoulder, seeing Sunset riding her motorcycle towards him. He rolled his eyes, and smirked.

"Hello again." He said, nodding when she finally had stopped the engine and taken off her helmet. He spun the blade for a few moments before placing it in his sheath.

"I'm coming with you, if only to drag your sorry body back when you pass out." She added glumly. Eclipse laughed, eyeing the green bushes around the clearing.

"That will not be necessary." A kind, distant voice said behind them. Eclipse turned on his heels, to find a gleaming white draconian, standing on its hind legs. The wings extended out, the bright, icy blue of the webbing like a crisp, blue, cloudless sky. As it was, the dragon looked over them, taller than the pair by a foot or two. Eclipse bowed, flourishing his sword before sliding it into its sheath.

"Father, to what do I owe the pleasure?"


	3. Warning!

**Warning!: the following chapter contains Disturbing imagery including war crimes. I apologize in advance for anyone who is offended or otherwise inconvenienced. Please don't skip it, as it does contain a key point or two.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Shields and Swords

"If I may venture, this would be the girl you've bonded with, yes?" The older draconian asked, his muzzle coming inches from Sunset's face. He gave her a few cautious sniffs. "Yes, you have his blood in your veins" He nodded, squinting at the girl for a moment.

"Very, interesting, a bond like this hasn't happened since Lady Gwendolene." he added, folding his wings to his side. He raised his hand and snapped his claws. Instantly, several more draconians, all with varying colors and their weapons at the ready.

"Now that is what I've expected. You, father, are definitely a pleasant surprise." Eclipse said, giving a bow. "I'm curious, has something happened at the sanctuary?" he asked standing up and looking his father square in the eyes.

"No, I have come to ask you to come home." His father replied. Eclipse raised his hand, placing the other over the bridge of his nose.

"Wait, wait, wait, did you by chance set up a little event using a bear?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with the dangerous light that Sunset had seen when he had interrupted the Friendship Games, his father gave a small smile and nodded. "Then you are aware that had I not intervened, someone could've gotten seriously hurt from that little stunt." he growled, standing a little taller. "No, not just hurt, even killed!" He he had raised his voice to a shout.

"And we wonder why humans beat us back into our capital! We treat them as a-" he started, but his father raised his claw to quiet him.

"Calm down, calm down. Had you not intervened, one of my men would've." He soothed, placing his claws on his son's head and ruffling the silver-like strands. Eclipse frowned, his eyes still gleaming with the cold light.

"You could've led off that little detail." Eclipse grumbled in reply, rolling his eyes. He looked over the other draconians, then nodded .

"My son, I have reinstated your inheritance, and I believe you will take an interest in a certain meeting that has been arranged recently." His father nodded with a chuckled.

"After all, they had cut off their communications when you were but a young whelp." Came the elder's voice in a knowing tone. Another draconian stepped forward, bowing.

"Lord Nightstar! Are you certain?" he asked, looking at Eclipse.

"Yes, he knows his old fal'ra better than any of my councilors." Nightstar answered, causing Eclipse's cold stare to soften.

"We have reestablished contact with Equestria?" He shouted, reeling back. "If I recall the time dilation correctly, it's been about a thousand years for them."

Eclipse glanced over his shoulder at Sunset, who was staring at the two draconians, and cleared his throat.

"My apologies sal mir, we didn't mean to disregard you."

"I'm sorry, sal-what?" Sunset asked, causing Eclipse and his father to chuckle.

"Sal mir, the translation is 'my dear'." Eclipse smiled, looking at his father. "Pardon my manners. This is my father, Lord Nightstar, king of the draconian people." He said, bowing his head slightly. He looked at Sunset and motioned in her direction. "And this is Sunset Shimmer." He paused. Nightstar chuckled to himself, and looked over Sunset, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

"I dare say this young woman has her heart in the right place."he replied, turning his head slightly. He gave Sunset a slight sniff, then hummed thoughtfully. "I would refer to you as a human, but now that I've had a closer look, I see that you have crossed a rift between here and Equestria." he placed a claw over his mouth. "And that is concerning, we cannot stop any threats if we do not know where they emerge from."

"I'm sure that we'll be able to keep an eye on it." Eclipse replied, relaxing. "If I were to guess, I think it might be around the school, this most recent… incident would be the second centering there." He glanced at Sunset, giving a slight smile. He looked back to his father, his face becoming stern again. " However, I do ask we leave it be. I don't think our 'improvements' would be of benefit to that rift." He added. Nightstar chuckled in reply.

"Indeed, although that would be a bit entertaining." he said, a sarcastic grin crossing his muzzle. He was going to continue, but a distant scream draws the company's attention.

"What was that?" Sunset asked, looking towards the sound. Eclipse growled and drew his sword, spinning the blade viscously.

"Don't know, but that was from Sanctuary…" He replied, turning to his father and nodding, then back to Sunset. "Stay here, They'll keep you safe." He paused, waving another draconian over. "I'll take a guard or two and make sure everything is fine." He rolled his shoulders before sprinting into the underbrush. After a few moments, he came to a stop near a deep cavern, which had thick, black smoke billowing out from the mouth of it.

"This doesn't bode well." The guard said, drawing the bow from his back. Eclipse nodded, and quietly slipped into the darkness. They came upon what looked like a sentry station, completely demolished, and Eclipse thought he saw a few bloodstains among the rubble. "Sir, over there!" the guard pointed at a dimly lit pile of stone and wood. Eclipse squinted, then ran over to it when he caught a glint of steel. He dug around in the rubble, uncovering an armored hand.

"C-capt..ain.." A weak voice asked, the hand twitching. Eclipse dug even more furiously, uncovering a beaten and battered Draconian soldier, several wood beams had impaled him, and several points in the armor had been punctured and had dug into the man underneath.

"What happened soldier?" Eclipse demanded, his his hand tightening around his blade.

"Our Talon squad staged a rebellion, had two other squads behind them." the wounded soldier coughed. "We held them off as long as we could, Captian Nightclaw was organizing a defence at the main keep." The soldier started another coughing fit. Eclipse placed a hand on the man's jerking shoulder.

"You did your best, may you find solace in Falrim my friend." Eclipse said soothingly as the soldier coughed a few more times before dropping his head into the rubble, the life fading from his eyes. Eclipse lowered his eyelids before the rigor mortis caused the body to become stiff.

Eclipse stood, clenching his fist and turning to his guard, and nodded to where the Main hall would be, as each sanctuary was built in a uniform format. This had always been an issue with Eclipse, but he could complain later, now he had to deal with infighting among his own people.

"This is pointless, the only thing this accomplishes is unnecessary destruction and death." He grumbled, looking over the ruins of homes. "If I ever get my own sanctuary, I won't be following the normal layout." He said under his breath, just as he and his companion came into the vast cavern that had once been decorated in suits of armor and weapons, but it was now stripped bare.

"Sir, it appears that Nightclaw's men have used this chamber. We should continue onwards." The captain informed, brushing a part of the wall that had been hidden behind a shield.

"Looks like those who fell were able to take four of the five rebels with them." Eclipse nodded towards the site of the remains of battle. Four ornate uniforms among the corpses catching his eye. He examined another body for a moment, "She's not an active soldier, and from the looks of it, Most of her friends weren't either." He growled. "To what insanity did the Talons fall to to be able to kill civilians, even women." He stood, glancing over the carnage, a part of him hoping to find even one survivor. The Captain lightly grabbed his shoulder.

"Mi'lord, I do not wish to Burden you further, but it seems that they didn't spare even the children. The soldier said, pointing towards a huddled corpse with several arrows protruding from his back. The corpse shifted, causing both men to draw steel. A young girl, not even a year past hatching by Eclipse's guess, cried and squirmed under the lifeless arms of what the men supposed was her older brother. Eclipse returned his blade back to it's scabbard while letting out the breath he had held. He walked over to the infant, gently removing it from the corpse's arms and cradling it in his own.

"Eclipse! There you are!" came Sunset's voice as she ran out of the shadows, accompanied by three other soldiers. She stopped and fell to her knees when she saw the corpses littered about the far end of the room. "W-what happened? Are they-"

"Dead…" Eclipse whispered, barely able to keep himself from bursting into tears. "May their souls find rest in Falrim for their bravery." He carefully maneuvered through the field of corpses as he made his way to Sunset's side. "I swear, I'll find the one responsible for this." he growled. Eclipse pulled Sunset to her feet, just as mocking laughter echoed through the empty end of the room, back to the entrance. The accompanying soldiers quickly formed a wall in front of their prince and his bond mate.

"Stirring performance, But I'm afraid that won't save you now." A dark voice said as a tall, imposing figure walked towards them, stopping just before reaching the area illuminated by the torch. "However, since I am so generous, I will give you another chance." there was a slight pause then the figure tossed a beaten and battered draconian at their feet. "I see you've found my bait. This is Sir Nightclaw, and that little morsel you're holding is his child, kill them both, and I'll let you pass." Eclipse gritted his teeth, then he wrapped the child in his arms with his cloak, gingerly placing it into Sunset's arms. He pressed his way passed the gaurds, his eyes taking on the eerie ice blue glow Sunset had seen when he had fought Midnight Sparkle. He knelt at the wounded Nightclaw.

"Eclipse? You came back, Your father must have found you." He smiled weakly, giving a little nodd. "My daughter, please, make sure she finds a good home. I can't bear that she would grow up without a family." Eclipse shook his head.

"Mar'ran, you will be able to raise her yourself. We'll get through this, we've had worse." the prince insisted, reaching out for his friend. Just before he could touch him, a black tail, tipped with a metal blade, shot into view and pierced Nightclaw's throat.

"My apologies, but I was getting bored with all the sentiment." The voice came with a chuckle. Eclipse's eyes shone even brighter, and the braziers around the room flared to life, the flames burning a bright blue. In front of the group stood a tall, black Draconian, his armor and scales stained with blood, and his burning red eyes staring Eclipse down.

", have you Bloodtalon?" Eclipse said darkly. "I Eclipse Nightstar will make you pay for what you've done." He let himself transform fully, shaking shards of ice off of his arms and legs. His poised for battle, the raptor like talons on his foot striking the floor hard enough to crack the stone beneath him. His hands shone eerily, his magic surrounding them.

"So you're willing to risk exile to defeat me?" Bloodtalon chuckled, rolling his shoulders. " The dragon's fist is forbidden you know."

"I'm well aware, I just came back, but if it mean putting a stop to your madness, I will gladly risk it again." Eclipse growled in reply.

What happened next Sunset could barely make out, Bloodtalon jabbed at Eclipse with his tail, looking to impale him with the blade at the end. Eclipse caught it, then shattered the blade. Almost at the same time, his other hand swung upwards, cutting Bloodtalon's right shoulder to the bone. As Bloodtalon staggered back, he was struck across his face by Eclipse's tail, whose thin whip-like tip left a nasty gash across his face. Bloodtalon tried to retaliate, but Eclipse sidestepped and kneed him in the stomach. Bloodtalon crashed into a pillar a few feet away. Eclipse cleared the distance in one feral jump, landing on his adversary's back. Sunset looked away, closing her eyes.

"Sunset? Are you alright?" Eclipse's voice came, Sunset opened her eyes, Eclipse was looking concerned, again in his semi-human form. Sunset hadn't noticed that his eyes didn't change between his human and his natural forms. She could ask about that later, but for now there were more pressing matters.

"Y-yeah, I think so." She nodded, the Baby she held in her arms gurgled happily. And he smiled. He looked behind them as they left the room. Then he ushered them back out into the halls, and towards the exit. "What happened?" She asked, Eclipse took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"I think it's best that we not talk about that, and I'm sorry, you shouldn't have had to deal with what was down there." He replied, "I hope you can forgive me, the last thing I want is to have innocents hurt on my account." Sunset looked at Eclipse, who continued. "Had I not dabbled in the Dragon's fist, I wouldn't have injured my instructor. And he wouldn't have resorted to what he had." He nodded "In a way, I'm just as responsible as he was."

"No you're not!" Sunset snapped, Eclipse flinching slightly at the suddenness of the outburst. " **You** saved the crusaders! **You** stood up to Mrs. Cinch! You are a good person!" She finished, the draconian took a moment to process her words, then chuckled.

"Let's not forget that I also, for lack of a better term, beat the corruption out of Twilight." He added with a smile. Sunset punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Well, I see that you have dealt with the rouge talons." Lord Nightstar's voice came from overhead, Eclipse nodded as his father landed on front of them a few moments later. "I must ask that you greet the Ambassadors, whilst I focus on repairing and repairing this sanctuary." Eclipse bowed his head, Sunset, despite witnessing him dropping a formal facade over his playful nature, was still amazed that he was able to switch his demeanor so quickly. She was pulled from her thoughts when Eclipse nudged her with his elbow.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, shaking her head.

"I asked if you would like to stand by my side during the negotiations." Eclipse repeated, smiling warmly. "I could use an equestrian to ensure that offers are beneficial" Eclipse looked over Sunset hopefully, a slight glitter in his eyes.

"I would, but the Girls and I have a summer camp tomorrow."

"Alright, I wish you the best, I'll let you know if I find anything more about the bond, then I'll be back after the negotiations are done."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Reunion

Eclipse shifted the shoulder pads of his formal attire, it had been two days since he had returned to Ral-sai, the capital city of the Draconians, and the Equestrian representatives would be arriving any minute. Luckily, the healers were able to repair his wing a few hours prior. He had spent most of his spare time going over the terms of the treaty and researching cross-species blood bonds. He took a deep breath, collecting his composure as the Councilor rushed into the conference room.

"They have arrived, your highness." The draconian gasped. "They await you in the throne room." Eclipse stood, waving the councilor forward.

"Lead the way." he replied with a begrudging sigh, following closely. He let his thoughts wander as he walked down the walls. "Out of curiosity, chancellor, how many ambassadors are visiting?"

"Three, now my prince, mayhaps we can save our breath for our meeting." the politician replied, grumbling over the lack of manners from his prince. Eclipse paused as they came to the door. He pulled himself back together, then walked through to the doors.

"Luna, I'm honored to welcome you and your friends to our capital." he nodded, looking over her companions. A white unicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, and a Pink alicorn with light yellow, a darker shade of pink than her coat, and purple stripes in hers. "Pardon my manners, I am Eclipse Nightstar, I will be negotiating on behalf of my people." He added, bowing slightly. Luna and her companions returned the gesture, Eclipse noting the small smile that Luna was giving him, _I only need to keep these appearances for a while longer, gods this is tiring_. Eclipse thought to himself. "May I ask who your friends are Luna."

"Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard of Equestria." the unicorn said bowing low. Eclipse waved him back to his feet.

"I welcome you captain, and I hope our precautions do not affect our discussion today." Eclipse said, looking to the other alicorn in the room.

"I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, it is an honor to finally meet you. My Aunts speak very highly of you." She said, nodding to Luna. Eclipse shook himself, sending a cascade of shimmering frost to the floor.

"It is a pleasure." He said, nodding quietly "Now that pleasantries are out of the way, I ask that you follow me to the room that we've prepared." he added, turning around and walking back to the room that he had been retrieved from. The sounds of hooves behind him affirmed that they had followed him. He took his seat in front of the single window in the room. "Make yourselves comfortable, You are guests here." he said, waving his hand around the room. He turned to the chancellor and the guards. "You may leave us, I will not need the assistance or protection." the other draconians looked at each other, then left with a bow. He closed the door behind him, and after a few moments, he took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. "Now that we have the formalities out of the way, I ask that we speak plainly. It tires me to continue like this." he said, looking over his guests, who nodded slightly. "Alright then, let's get the important things out of the way first." He said, clapping his hands, as if they were covered in dust or some other offending material. He looked around the table, the two alicorns were giving him warm smiles. Eclipse held up three scrolls, procured from the stack of them sitting in the bookshelf to his right. He casually tossed one of the scrolls at Luna, who caught it in an aura of her magic. He repeated this with Cadenza, and then with Shining, each catching it with their magic. "I'll do my best to answer any questions you have." He said, earning a impish smile from Luna, who shifted her wing slightly. Eclipse smiled as he caught a glimpse of a hilt. "I'll spar with you later." he chuckled, returning her smile. Shining looked between them both, a worried expression on his face. Before the situation could escalate, Cadenza put down her scroll.

"Do you have any requirements for this... Sanctuary?" She asked, looking at the Draconian.

"Ah, well, I was hoping to be able to use our hunters to the full advantage, which means we'd need a place not to far from a town, but not within its borders." He answered, rubbing the back of his head. "And, this is a bit embarrassing, but we don't exactly have the materials necessary to fortify any sort of position we'd take. Stone, wood those sorts of things." He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose a ruin would do for starters. But we'd still need raw materials to renovate or rebuild, depending on the state of it." He paused, looking over his guests. "I don't suppose that rings any bells." He was answered with a few moments of silence. Shining produced another small scroll, unrolling it in front of Eclipse.

"You'd still be short materials, but there is an old castle in the Everfree Forest." He nodded. Almost instantly, a rapier blade embedding itself in the table, skewering the paper in the process. Eclipse looked over to Luna, her horn glowing with magic.

"I suppose you would like to say something." Eclipse said, grasping the hilt of the blade and pulling it out of the wood. He calmly tossed the weapon, catching the blade and holding it out hilt first towards Luna. "You'd think it would've been easier to just speak your mind." He looked at the map again, "Wait, is that.." he said, squinting at the letters. "So it is! That explains that outburst." he chuckled, looking over the torn paper. There, just under where the rapiers tip had cut through the paper, was a picture of a ruined castle. One he recognized as the one that he had visited when his father had taken him when they had gone to begin negotiations all those years ago. He gave an understanding nod. "I'm afraid, Shining, that I'm going to need a bit more than just your permission to settle those particular ruins." He looked over the map again… then gave a sigh of exasperation. "Unfortunately, I do not see many other options that won't require leveling an area of forest, and that would take manpower we don't have available." Eclipse rubbed the back of his head, attempting to think of another option. Luna lifted her hoof to get his attention, he looked up, silently pleading she had a plan.

"I suppose the value I place on the old castle is mostly sentimental." She relented, giving a coy smile. "I'll allow it if my old student can beat me in combat." she added, Eclipse shrugged and smiled.

"Alright, I suppose I should arrange for the dueling ring to be prepared." He composed himself, once again placing a regal facade, and clapping his hands. A guard entered the room. "Private, go and tell the Keepers to prepare a ring for combat." he waved his hand, the guard left. He returned a few moments later, two other draconians, covered head to toe in plates of armor behind him. " Lead the way." he nodded, taking the rear of the precession, the Ponies between him and the two Keepers. They came out into a small arena, a small wooden fence bordering it, and bits of armor littered the outside of it. Eclipse walked past the first gate, gripping the hilt of his sword. He turned around, bowing. "I have accepted the challenge of Luna, Princess of Equestria. It shall be to either one party yields or until first blood." He announced, drawing his blade. Luna walked into the ring, flourishing her rapier into a ready position.

"Let the duel be watched by Chral' kri, and may the best warrior be victorious." one of the keepers shouted, raising a claymore into the air. Eclipse got into his stance, his blade kept close to his body. He twitched, feigning an opening. Luna took the opportunity, as he had hoped, launching her rapier at him. He spun his sword, blocking the thrust and taking a step forward, only to be pressed back by another strike from the edged rapier. Eclipse cursed to himself. _At this rate, I won't be able to get close enough to land a hit. Think, there's got to be another way around this._ He sidestepped a thrust, Luna's weapon sailing a foot or two past him. He sprinted forwards, reaching out into the arena with his mind. As the rapier flipped around and flew at him again, he felt the magic around it shift, he spun under it, holding out his empty hand, an icy mist gathered under it, exploding into a second blade made out of ice. He parried a slash with it, the rapier stopping halfway through the conjured weapon. He closed the distance again, Luna attempted to dislodge her weapon, the rapier shaking furiously in its prison. Eclipse pressed his advantage, bringing his metal blade up to Luna's neck and throwing his frost blade aside in the same motion.

"Do you yield?" he asked, both hands on his sword's hilt. Luna gave a small smile, and Eclipse felt the cold steel of her rapier against the back of his neck. He gave her a questioning look. "So is this a draw?" both combatants lowered their weapons Eclipse flourishing his blade as he did so. The Keepers looked at each other, then to the combatants. "Well, I didn't win, so I suppose We'll have to scout the forest and decide on a place to found the sanctuary." Eclipse said, bowing to his old teacher. " I'll make preparations to leave for Equestria as soon as possible."

The following week was, to Eclipse's irritation, filled with meetings. Shining and Cadeza had returned to Equestria to arrange for things for the expedition. Eclipse's moments of respite were either filled with reading what he could find on cross-species bonds or caring for the hatchling, whom he had decided to call Stardust. His sleep, thanks to the bond, had been an opportunity to share what he had learned with Sunset. He noticed with the last few times that the bond had developed despite the separation, the most recent one he had noticed her blushing furiously, and though his scales couldn't change their hue his wings had fluttered nervously from time to time. Once, during his reading, he had to re-read over a page when what he read didn't seem right.

"Okay, I didn't misread it." He said to himself "Must be the protection link, Whatever was bothering Sunset, it certainly didn't stay a threat very long." he nodded, shaking the lingering feeling away. He continued reading, bouncing Stardust gently in his free arm.

"I was not aware you had taken a mate." Luna said as she walked into the open room and noticing the child.

"No, she's not mine, her father was a good friend of mine." he replied quietly. Placing the book off to the side as the babe stirred in his arms. Luna gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Was?" she asked. Eclipse nodded.

"I'm afraid so, he died not a month ago." he replied quietly, hanging his head. Luna nodded understandingly.

"You have my sympathies." Luna said, Eclipse noticing the tears in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to bring up any unhappy memories." Eclipse looked down to the child in his arms and smiled. "I had hoped to find a more fitting family for her. She deserves better than me. I can't compare to the man her father was. I could never stand next to him and say I am worthy to call my Captain my equal." He felt his smile fade into a frown, he felt a tear start to slide down

"I merely sympathize, my old student." Luna gave him a sideways glance, as if she was hiding something.

"Alright, what is it?" he asked, letting out a sigh. "It has something to do with you and your sister ceasing negotiation, doesn't it." Luna nodded quietly.

"I'm afraid it does, I let my jealousy twist my mind, and for my transgressions, Tia was forced to banish me to the moon for a thousand years." She affirmed. Eclipse blinked, he couldn't quite believe it, they had seemed to get along well enough during their visits.

"Okay, wow… that's overdoing it a bit." Eclipse blinked, his voice raising. He gave a slight sigh as Stardust started crying.

Luna gave an amused chuckle as Eclipse rocked her, desperately trying to get the child to fall back asleep. She excused herself from the room, stopping just before the door, as if she had just remembered something.

"I cannot linger here any longer than I have, I told Tia that I would return a day before you are to arrive in Canterlot." She said, hanging her head. Eclipse nodded, and she left. He looked back down at the child in his arms, who had just calmed down enough to stop crying. He gave a little chuckle.

"What am I going to do with you?"


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

A Dragon's Age

The next morning came sooner than Eclipse expected, he shook his head. This would be the busiest day he would have since he had returned. He blinked way the sleep and walked back the first order of business was selecting his personal guard for the excursion, he had narrowed the selection to a few squads, but many of them had a very limited set of skills. If he was going to be away for an extended period of time, he would need a squad that not only worked well both as a team and as individuals, but had a diverse set of skills. That narrowed the field even further, only two squads had a varied weapon roster. One was lead by a friend of his father's, and was currently on an assignment. That left a squad led by a pair of twins, Glacia and Aquilo, they were little more than fledglings, they had just advanced from training, along with the rest of their squad. His thoughts were cut short when he walked through the colossal doors to the courtyard.

"As you well know, I will be choosing the squad to accompany me to establish a sanctuary." He shouted over the quiet clamor of the soldiers that had gathered there. "As I will be overseeing this operation for an indeterminate time, I have chosen the squad that I feel would do the best job at not only protecting me, but also establishing a foothold in which we will build our newest sanctuary." He paused, looking over the crowd, a few of the older soldiers were fingering their weapons, waiting for the announcement to begin a tournament. "I will be accompanied by the Squad commanded by Glacia and Aquilo." He called, a few gasps and murmurs rippled over the crowd as a cloaked female soldier with a bow across her back and a quiver of arrows hanging from her hip. Her wings and tail were covered by glittering white scales, the underside and membrane were the same icy, light blue, a couple shades lighter than Eclipse's own. She was followed close behind by her brother, who sported a darker, less vibrant shade than his sisters, yet still lighter that Eclipse's own, but he was a good foot over his sister, and his large broadsword glistened in the morning light with the thin layer of frost covering it.

"It is an honor, We will do our duty until we are released from your service." Glacia said, dropping to one knee. The other soldiers quickly filed out, Eclipse was able to pick up several grumbles.

"Well, glad that's over with." Aquilo shrugged, receiving an elbow to his stomach from Glacia.

"Brother, this is important, can you try to behave yourself for a few moments!" She scolded. Eclipse chuckled, raising his hand for Glacia to stand down.

"It's fine, I'm not exactly one for formalities anyway." He said, producing a scroll. "Here's your orders, I'm not exactly expecting any trouble, but it never hurts to be careful." He added as Glacia took the scroll. "And even so, that doesn't guarantee the we won't cause any trouble ourselves." Aquilo cracked his knuckles and chuckled happily. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Get your squad ready with supplies and everything we'll need."

Eclipse turned around, walking back into the castle. He silently thanked the gods that he was able to delegate the preparations to the squad. He had other things he needed to do besides all of the formal events and everything. He had retrieved Stardust, and was standing in front of the rift back to Canterlot High. He took a deep breath, making sure he had shifted into his human form before he walked through. Thankfully, the time dilation wasn't off by that much, a few seconds at most. So he didn't have to worry about missing the departure due to the different time. They had synced the entrance of the rift to the opening to Equestria that Sunset had shown him. Stardust shifted in his arm, giving a small coo. He pulled his jacket's hood over his head, if only to hide his still draconic eyes under the shadows. He spotted Twilight off to his left, and walked up behind her. He coughed, startling the girl.

"What's up?" he said, causing her to spin.

"Eclipse! You're back already? I thought you'd be gone a little longer than four weeks." She replied, fumbling with the books in her arms. Eclipse caught the one she was unable to with his free hand.

"Well, I have a little time before I have to go back to that diplomatic stuff. I don't suppose you know where everyone else is? I kinda need to drop off a few notes with you I already told Sunset, and I apologize if the delivery is a little outdated, but here's your copy of my notes." He said, producing a scroll and handing it to her. She grabbed it and put it into her bag, just as Pinky jumped seemingly out of nowhere, bouncing excitedly.

"OOh, do I get a present too?" she said.

"Uuh, where did you-" He started, pointing in random directions.

"I don't know." Pinky shrugged. Eclipse's jaw dropped.

"You don't know! you're the one who did it for Sira's sake!" He shouted, only to be interrupted by Stardust, who started to cry. Eclipse rolled his eyes, starting to rock the child.

"Is that a…" Twilight asked, pointing at the bundle in his arms.

"Relax, she's the one who was orphaned when Sunset and I visited Sanctuary" He quickly said "I haven't found anyone to care for her." he thought for a moment, then forced a smile. "I promised her father I'd find a loving family to raise her." He gave a small look over the child. "Problem is, her father was a bit of a legend, and most people, including myself, don't think they're.. Going to be a good enough replacement." He said, swirling a thread of magic In front of the hatchling, who giggled happily at the glowing energy in front of her.

"Can I hold her? Please!" Pinkie said excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping excitedly. Eclipse sighed and cursed himself for being unable to stay mad at the hyperactive girl.

"Alright, but please be careful. She has the tendency to bite, her fangs are growing in." He said, handing the young draconian over to Pinkie. "Only for a bit, I could use your inexplicable speed to round up the others." he was about to continue when a blast of magic hit him square in the chest, throwing him back. He pushed himself up to is elbows, shaking his head to clear it. "Okay, new plan, get everyone together and move them somewhere safe." He pulled himself up to his feet. He looked over his shoulder, his hand hovering over his sword hilt.

"Yes! Cower before the Great and Powerful Trixie!" A girl with white hair and purple eyes shouted, spreading the star-printed cape behind her dramatically, holding her similarly printed hat in one hand. What had caught Eclipse's attention was the bracelet on her right wrist.

"I'm afraid I'm more interested in that little trinket you have." He replied, popping his neck. "That's an old Draconian relic. Care to explain how you got ahold of it?" He drew his sword, spinning the weapon elegantly.

"That's none of your business!" Trixie shouted, throwing a bolt of magic at him. Eclipse batted the attack aside with his blade.

"Alright, but I'm going to ask for you to return it. Things from the old era tend to be very harmful to the users that haven't been trained to resist it." He said, throwing his weapon aside. He sidestepped another blast, then with a wave of his hand, a wall of ice erupted behind her, then on both sides of her. "Putting it bluntly, you don't know what you're getting into." He flicked his wrist, and a frozen spike stopped just before injuring the girl. "I, however have had my entire life to master my school of magic." He added, snapping his fingers, the spike shattering. He gave a growl as she raised her hand to fire another blast him again. He held his hand out, an expectant look on his face. "Give me the bracelet, I won't have anyone hurt because someone didn't know what they were doing." He dodged the blast of magic, then started walking forward. "That includes you, but if I have to beat you within an inch of your life, I guarantee I won't be losing sleep over it."

"Eclipse! What's going on?" Sunset's voice came from behind him. He whirled around, raising another wall of ice between him and the magician. Eclipse took a deep breath, attempting to restrain his anger.

"It seems that one of our ancient relics was picked up by a... Trixie, I think, she gave herself quite the egotistical introduction. I'm trying to relieve her of the relic before it does any permanent damage." He replied giving a cross glare to Pinky, who shrugged.

"What's the big deal? It's just an old piece of junk." Rainbow asked, crossing her arms. Eclipse sighed, shaking his head.

"If only that were true. Back before we developed ways to manipulate already existing magic, we created gems able to absorb the magic generated naturally from our environment, including ourselves." He explained, and when the seven girls looked at him, obviously expecting worse. "If something that doesn't have the training or any sort of defence, the relics tend to have a habit of draining the magic from the user until they die from it." He blurted, looking at the ground. "And exploding afterwards." He heard the ice behind him crack, he looked back up to the girls, who had expressions ranging from oblivious to absolutely horrified.

"So you think you can best the the Great and Powerful Trixie? Ha!" Trixie shouted as the barrier exploded, she raised her hand to fire another blast of energy, but was rammed in the stomach from a pillar of ice, knocking the wind out of her. Without any hesitation, Eclipse had sprinted halfway to the girl. Trixie blindly fired another bolt of magic, which flew completely off target, scorching the bark on a tree nearby. Trixie tried again, but started emptying her stomach off whatever she had eaten before. Eclipse gripped her arm, tearing off the bracelet. He inspected the girl, and then the stone.

"Xieka!" he cursed, shoving it into the pouch on his belt. "I knew I shouldn't have explained when I did!" he turned, punching the ice to his left, the entire wall splintering into razor sharp slivers of frozen water. The shards sliced open his hand and forearm, drawing blood. Sunset ran up to him, followed closely by the other girls.

"What's wrong? Why isn't she getting up?" Fluttershy asked quietly, drawing his attention to the now unconscious Trixie.

"The gem has drained too much of her energy, she's in a magically induced coma, and there aren't many ways to wake her back up." He waved his hand, melting the two remaining walls of ice. He noticed Sunset frantically fumbling with her phone, and put a hand over it. "Don't bother calling the authorities, as far as they know, she's dead. Only difference is that her spirit hasn't left her body, it's like she's trapped in a nightmare." He said, a tear rolling down his face.

"Is there anythin' we can do?" Applejack asked. Pinky jumped up, producing a megaphone and speeding to Trixie's side. She took a deep breath, Eclipse covered his ears, bracing for the massive noise.

"TAKE THE RED PILL!" she shouted into the device, which was pointed directly into Trixie's ear.

"Pinkie, I'm sure she's thankful for the attempt, but that won't help." Eclipse said, with a small chuckle. Pinkie literally deflated, her poofy hair going perfectly straight.

"There is something, but it's more of what Sunset and I can do, rather than all of us." He said, pulling the bracelet from the pouch and looking between it and Trixie.

"What's the catch?" Sunset asked, eyebrow raised. "No offence, but it seems like lots of your stuff has some big side effects."

"I'm afraid there are… mainly, it will force you to change completely into a Draconian, temporarily, should wear off before tomorrow morning." He nodded, "but that's because the ritual requires two draconians to use effectively." He raised his hand, the jem glinting in his palm.

"I- what?" Sunset asked, stepping back. Eclipse didn't move, his eyes flicking between the unconscious Trixie and Sunset.

"Please, trust me, it won't hurt. It's just like stretching a muscle that you haven't used in a while." He said, moving his hand forward slightly. "Please, I don't want anyone to be hurt by this. Help me, she'll die if we don't do something soon, I'm not fast enough to get anyone else, and the bond allows you to help without pain."

"But, I- won't there be any other?" Sunset started. Eclipse shook his head.

"Nope, it's actually a low level spell. It was designed to split the load of the magic, if I were to try it alone, I'd probably end up half dead again." He laughed. "And I'll be honest, I'm not all that ecstatic about lying on a medical cot the next week." He looked over back to the rift he had walked through earlier. "And I can't exactly afford it, I need to set a sanctuary in Equestria tomorrow." he hung his head, he gave a sigh. "I know it sounds like I'm doing this just for me." He dropped to his knees, a thin layer of frost covering the ground immediately under him. He started to cry, his breath heaving. After a few moments of this, he looked up. "Please." Was all he could manage through the rasping breaths. He started to say more, but was interrupted by Sunset nearly knocking him onto his back with a hug. He sat for a few seconds, his mind reeling and trying to process what was going on. When he had, he returned the embrace.

"Hey, I know you guys are having a moment here, but didn't you say this needs to be done, like now?" Rainbow shouted, receiving a slap on the wrist from Rarity.

"Rainow! Have some patience, it's not like she'll get worse from waiting!" The fashionista scolded. Eclipse had come back to his senses, standing up he nodded.

"Well, you're right on that. Even if it had drained her completely, it would only result in a magic coma." He said, "For all intents and purposes, she would be physically dead, but her spirit would still be bound to her body."

"That doesn't sound very encouraging." Applejack grumbled. Earning a stifled chuckle from Eclipse.

"No argument there, but lucky us, I was able to remove it from her person before it escalated that far." He said. "But we'd better finish this up quickly, I have a feeling I'm going to have a long night ahead, and well... The sooner the better."

He took a deep breath, a golden energy gathering in his hand. It elegantly slithered through the air and wound its way around Sunset, encasing her in a shimmering cocoon. After a minute of the orb levitating, It erupted, scattering gold sparkles into the surrounding area. Sunset landed softly on her new digitigrade claws, her scales matching the shade of gold from the magic. The claws on both her hands and feet were a dark ebony color, she opened and closed her new muzzle, testing out the muscles. Her horns curved back elegantly, ending in two slender points. Eclipse held out his hand, the artifact sparkling in it. Sunset nodded, as if they were having an unheard conversation. The bracelet started leaking a ghostly blue energy, which condensed into an orb a few feet above it. Sunset relaxed, dropping to her knees in exhaustion.

Eclipse quickly shot one hand forward, glowing in the same blue energy. In response, a thin wisp snaked from the orb, diving into the unconscious Trixie's chest. Not one moment after the spell had completely exhausted its energy, Trixie sputtered as she sat up, looking around.

"Wha- What happened?" she asked, looking around. She looked at Eclipse and took a breath to scream, but stopped as he raised his hand in a surrendering fashion.

"To put it bluntly, you half killed yourself with my people's magic. You should be thanking us for saving you, but I suppose your pride won't allow it." He grumbled,looking over to Sunset.

"You? Defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie? Ha! Impossible!"She scoffed, brushing off the dirt from her skirt. "A mere beast could never beat me!" Trixie happily declared,only to flinch when she received angry growls from the two Draconians. Sunset was surprised, covering her mouth quickly. Eclipse however, simply smirked, giving a pleased chuckle.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. All just talk. Shame, really, I was looking forward to a bit of entertainment." He said, rolling his eyes. He turned to walk away, "You're not exactly what I'd call worth my time, anyways." He said over his shoulder, stopping as he raised his claw. "Just so we're clear, I've leveled entire towns with a wave my hand. I doubt you and your smoke and mirrors would be a match for even me at half of my power." he said venomously. He gave a dark chuckle as he started to move forward. He had barely taken a few step when he was given a disapproving look by both Fluttershy and Sunset.

"Do NOT do anything like that EVER again!" Sunset growled, pointing a claw at his muzzle. Eclipse looked at them both, although he was unable to hold eye contact with Fluttershy. He looked at the terrified Trixie, then back to Sunset.

"If you want me to say I'm sorry, don't hold your breath." He grumbled, holding out his hand, a flash of ice blue caused Sunset to blink. When the light died down, his sword had suddenly moved from the ground where he had left it to his hand. He looked back to Trixie, tied the scabbard to his belt and looked away. "I'll be blunt, knock it off and I won't beat you within an inch of your life. I'll let this one incident go, but if you make the same mistake of attacking me, my family, or my friends, I will personally make sure you won't do it again, one way or another." Trixie gulped, then sprinted in the opposite direction. Eclipse sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Wow Eclipse! You had me going there for a bit!" Pinkie cheered, clapping excitedly. Sunset looked confused, Eclipse gave an amused chuckle, which progressed to all out laughter.

"Oh by the frost! You all should see your faces!" He said, struggling to keep from laughing again. "Did you think I'd actually hurt her, she's just as much of a victim as we were." He tossed the relic into the air, caught it, then placed it in his satchel. He looked at the wide eyed expressions of the seven girls. "You're wondering about the sword, aren't you?" He asked only to be met with a numb nod from Sunset and Twilight. "Well, It's a Rune blade, it's made to react to the welder's magic. Long story short, we put a bit of our power into our weapons so we can summon them to us when we need them."

"So, What exactly happens now?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, I'd planned to spend the night here, then head to Equestria first thing in the morning. But it seems that fate changed that little plan." he turned to apologize to Sunset and the others, but froze when he heard clapping off to his left.

"Congratulations little brother!" a tall, dark figure cheered, walking into the light. "And here I was thinking that I'd have to jump in and scare her off." Eclipse took a deep breath, trying to reign in the rising anger that was bubbling to the surface.

"Azar, how long were you watching?" he asked, pointing the tip of his sword at the tall, black haired man that had moved from the shadows.

"Just after you did my job, funny enough." He said, crossing his arms and giving a scolding look to the younger draconian. "I was in charge of retrieving the artifact and cleaning up any messes it caused." Eclipse felt a wave of relief wash over him, then a stray thought crossed his mind.

"So had I waited a little longer, you would have been able to help?" he asked, Azar gave a small smile and shook his head.

"Had you waited, she would've died. " he said, looking over to the group of girls behind him. "And that's by our definition, the relics don't need to be touching the host at that point of infection." Eclipse nodded, and threw the bracelet to his older brother.

"Alright, well there you go. Job's done, you can go back to whatever you do in that vault of yours." Eclipse said hurriedly. Turning to Sunset. "Sunset, I… I want you to come with me tomorrow." Eclipse tapped his claw nervously. "I mean, I'm not sure how long the transmutation I used will last, and, well frankly, It would mean the world to me if you came, even if it is just a few days." He held out his hand.

"I want to… but-" Sunset started, but stopped when Stardust sneezed, the small gout of flame danced for a moment before flickering out. The infant draconian started crying, Rainbow Dash tried to quiet the child, but only to receive a sharp nip from the teething child.

"Yeowch!" She exclaimed, recoiling. Eclipse gave a hearty laugh, walking over to the group of girls. He inspected the bite carefully, giving Rainbow a nod.

"Well, I did warn Pinkie, and lucky for you, her teeth aren't ready to do much damage." He managed between chuckles. He grabbed Stardust carefully and rocked her in his arms as he walked to Sunset. When the little draconian's cries didn't cease, Eclipse started to hum a soft tune, one his own mother had sung to him. Swaying slowly as the notes rose and fell, and after a time, he had begun to form words to match the rhythm.

"Summer, winter, spring and fall

If you are quiet you'll hear their call.

Spring sings sweetly with each new life,

Asking you to forget your strife.

Summer beckons you out to play,

Let the light guide you, show you the way.

Fall is frightful, for the leaves quake,

Sleep calms the sky, so don't stay awake.

Winter plays a lullaby,

While the light dances in the sky.

Push the demons into their caves,

Sleep now child and you will be safe."

Stardust gave a yawn and fell back to sleep. Eclipse cradled the child, a smile crossing his face. Eclipse looked at his friends, who met his gaze with smiles. Twilight took a step forward.

"I think you will be a perfect fit for her guardian."" she said quietly, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "You put her safety before your own." Eclipse nodded, looking over to Sunset.

"Thanks, that means a lot. I suppose I can only do my best. If I mess up, I'll have you lot to pick me back up and push me back along the line." he chuckled, bowing his head and looking over Stardust, then to Sunset. After a moment, he nodded and he waved Pinkie over, placing the sleeping child into her arms. He walked over to Sunset, he pulled off his signet ring, "Sunset," He said, dropping to one knee, holding out the ring. "I would be honored if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?" Sunset gasped in surprise, and Rarity gave a delighted squeal. Sunset's wings opened and closed nervously, as if she were thinking it over.

"Yes!" Sunset finally said, hugging him with both her wings and arms. Eclipse gingerly placed the ring in her hand. He broke away from the embrace, and leading her to Pinkie, who was still holding Stardust. He smiled, lifting the child and passing her to Sunset.


End file.
